Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #847 in Home Improvement
• Brand: Porter-Cable
• Model: 4212

Features

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Amazon.com Product Description
The Porter-Cable 4212 dovetail jig is solid, durable and user-friendly with the ability to cut through dovetails, box joints, half-blind dovetails, rabbeted half-blind dovetails, and dovetail dados. Built with a thick steel base and CNC machined aluminum templates, the 4212 performs with the consistent accuracy you expect from Porter-Cable. The jig comes fully assembled and includes two carbide-tipped bits, two template guides, two lock nuts, and a user guide.

From the Manufacturer
Porter-Cable 4212 12-Inch Deluxe Dovetail Jig

Customer Reviews

I'm a believer
I purchased the P-C 4212 jig primarily to help me make drawers quickly and accurately. Before buying it I was worried that the jig would be too fussy or time consuming to set up properly, or that it might not make good joints. After reading lots of reviews I decided to take the plunge and I am happy to say that my fears were mostly unwarranted. So far the performance of this jig has been excellent. The manual is well written and the instructions are easy to follow and precise. By taking my time and following the steps to the letter, I made near perfect half-blind dovetails on my first try. With a bit of troubleshooting and tweaking (which are explained in the manual), I soon had great looking joints coming from this thing.

One word of advice, every cut made with this jig must be backed up or you will get some serious blowout from the router bit exiting the rear of the board. In a normal operation such as making half blind dovetails, the pin board and the tail board are clamped together in the jig to provide this support, but remember that since they are offset, the last "tail" cut is not backed and will blowout if you don't add a scrap board to back it up. Also, don't forget to go to the P-C website and download the advanced joint manual. It really explains all of the fancy joints you can accomplish with this jig.

Overall, I am very pleased with this purchase, both from a performance and value-for-the-dollar standpoint.

Porter Cable Got It Right
I bought this jig several weeks ago. It was easy to set up and use. To date I have only made half blind dovetail joints. Everything worked fine. I felt the manual was not as clear as it could have been but after a few mistakes I was able to make flawless joints. The quality of the unit appears to be quite good. Nothing flimsy or cheap. I was attracted to the carbided tipped bits but a little concerned that I may find a delay in getting the 'custom' PC bits if something happens to the original bits (I notice that Amazon does not offer the bits for sale yet!). I am a little concerned that PC did not provide lock nuts for the templet stops but, surprisingly, the set nuts have not wandered from their set points. Also, the knobs that set the tension position on the material clamps have a tendency to loosen up and if one is not careful the material may not be secured as tight as it should be. Finally, it would have been nice if PC had put the part numbers on the templets so that a novice could easlily identify them. Overall, a good product at a reasonable price.

Since I originally reviewed this item I have read where many other people have had almost no success in obtaining the dovetail bits for this unit. I have also learned that PC and Delta are now being bought out by DeWalt on 4/1/05 which might only add to the difficulty (at least temporarily) of getting these bits. Fortunately, I called PC and they sent me to their distributor in Atlanta which had 8 of the 43776PC bits. You can reach them at 404-608-0006.

GREAT JIG
First let me tell you what NOT to buy. I first bought the Craftsman Professional Dovetail Fixture. (...) What a piece of crap! Cheap plastic, difficult to adjust accurately. I spent an afternoon and two evenings trying to get it right, and never was successful. Returned it to Sears and ordered the PC 4212. What a difference. Solid steel, easy to use. After an hour of setup and familiarization, gave it a try with some scrap and it worked perfectly. Emboldened, I made a drawer. Perfect on the first try. To those concerned about the PC router bits, I notice that Home Depot in our area is now carrying a complete line of PC router bits. Bottom line, I am very pleased with this jig.